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The 2025 Big 12 season has come to an end, and the final results look far different than preseason outlooks. Texas Tech blew away expectations to earn its first outright conference title since 1955, and BYU surprised everyone by posting a second 11-win season. Utah got back to its winning ways and Arizona proved its missed bowl last season was just a fluke. 

Kansas State, however, was seen by many as a potential Big 12 contender; the Wildcats finished .500. Baylor started with similar expectations but missed a bowl game to post their fourth losing season in six years. 

And then there was Oklahoma State, which fired coach Mike Gundy and embarked on a historically terrible campaign. The Cowboys were the only program to fire their coach, though Iowa State's Matt Campbell left for Penn State and Kansas State's Chris Klieman retired. 

With so much movement, here's how we grade every single Big 12 team after the 2025 campaign. 

Texas Tech

The Red Raiders took one of the great swings in college football history by investing heavily in a stacked portal class. It was an unprecedented success. Texas Tech blew through the Big 12 to win its first outright conference title since 1955 and earn a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. The program has serious national championship aspirations. Grade: A+

BYU

The season seemed to be over after quarterback Jake Retzlaff transferred, but true freshman Bear Bachmeier was a revelation. The Cougars again bullied their way to a second consecutive 11-win season and national ranking to establish themselves as one of the top programs in the Big 12. With coach Kalani Sitake locked in long term after a dalliance with Penn State, vibes are high. Frankly, the only thing holding this back from being an A+ is disrespect by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. Grade: A

Houston

Willie Fritz has long been a miracle worker, but even he outdid himself. The Cougars stunningly went from consecutive 4-8 seasons to a 9-3 campaign and No. 21 slot in the final CFP Rankings. Quarterback transfer Conner Weigman helped stabilize the position, and No. 1 overall recruit Keisean Henderson has a shot to change everything for this program. The Cougars are back. Grade: A

Arizona

Wildcats coach Brent Brennan entered the year on a blazing hot seat after wasting the final year of Tetairoa McMillan's career. But instead of panicking, Brennan settled down and built around his quarterback, Noah Fifita. The results were fantastic. The Wildcats ended the year on a five-game winning streak, including a decimation of rival Arizona State. Fifita was named the first-team All-Big 12 quarterback as UA ranked No. 17 in the final CFP Rankings. The Brennan era has new life in Tucson. Grade: A

Utah

The Utes were in an unfamiliar position after missing a bowl last season, but gambles on offensive coordinator Jason Beck and quarterback Devon Dampier worked to perfection. Utah reestablished itself as one of the leading powers in the Big 12 with a 10-win campaign. The only damper on their season was losing to BYU in Provo, which ultimately cost them any real Big 12 or playoff contention. Grade: A-

Cincinnati

It was a tale of two seasons for Cincinnati. The Bearcats rattled off a seven-game winning streak with multiple blowouts through October. Then, they ended November on a four-game losing streak to finish 7-5. The emergence of quarterback Brendan Sorsby and some serious line talent is a positive indicator for Scott Satterfield's staff, but the bar was raised after a 7-1 start. This wasn't the way to finish. Grade: B-

Arizona State

The Sun Devils might be the most difficult program on the list to grade. They finished a respectable 8-4 and were the only team to upset Texas Tech during the Red Raiders' Big 12 title campaign. They also dealt with major injuries, lost in nonconference to Mississippi State and dropped a third Territorial Cup in four years with a 23-7 loss against Arizona. Arizona State was capable of contending for the Big 12, and their path gets more complicated after losing multiple starters to the portal. Grade: B-

Iowa State

It was a strange season for the Cyclones. They beat rivals Kansas State and Iowa in the first three games. Then, they went on a four-game losing streak in the middle of the season before recovering at the end. Failing to reach conference contention after the start was disappointing, but eight wins is nothing to scoff at in Ames after serious roster turnover. Grade: B-

TCU

Before the 2025 season, coach Sonny Dykes claimed the Horned Frogs were good enough to win the Big 12 title. They flashed real upside while sweeping in-state opponents Baylor, SMU and Houston, but a 44-13 loss to BYU defined a middling 8-4 campaign. The Horned Frogs have not been in serious conference contention since their magical run to the national title game in 2022. Grade: B-

UCF

Takeaways were hard to find during an up-and-down season for the Knights. They hung well with Houston and Cincinnati, but only beating Oklahoma State by three and getting crushed by Baylor won't sit well. The defense ranked No. 4 in the conference, and Scott Frost has plenty of track record on offense. Still, making a bowl would have been nice. Grade: C

West Virginia

The Mountaineers' second stint under Rich Rodriguez was a rollercoaster. Beating Pittsburgh made it all worth it, but the middle of the season was a tire fire. Then, November brought some serious intrigue behind freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. All Rodriguez needed was to find a few stars and beat Pitt; mission accomplished. Grade: C

Kansas

The shine is officially off the Lance Leipold era at Kansas after the Jayhawks missed a bowl game for a second straight season. The Jayhawks started 4-2 but lost five of six games down the stretch to waste Jalon Daniels' senior season. Grade: C-

Kansas State

The Wildcats have been the model of consistency under coach Chris Klieman, but the bottom fell out in 2025. Kansas State never seemed to recover from a season-opening loss to Iowa State in Dublin, leading to a stunning 2-4 start. They recovered well enough to make a bowl game, but Klieman retired after the season. KSU fans will hope to quickly move on from this year. Grade: D+

Colorado

For essentially the first time in his career, Deion Sanders had to find a quarterback after Shedeur Sanders left for the NFL. The decision proved fatal during a miserable 3-9 season that completely got away from them at the end. Losses by a combined 105-24 against Utah and Arizona in consecutive weeks were rock bottoms for the program. The emergence of Julian Lewis brings at least a little optimism, but Coach Prime has work to do. Grade: D

Baylor

The Bears came into the year with serious Big 12 title aspirations after ending 2024 on a six-game winning streak. Baylor managed to retain nearly all of its stars and had a favorable home schedule. Instead, it was a fourth losing season in six years as Baylor stunningly missed a bowl game. If not for athletic director Mack Rhoades resigning, Baylor would likely have fired coach Dave Aranda. Instead, he heads into yet another lame duck season in 2026, but this time without his top talents. Grade: D-

Oklahoma State

For a second, let's put aside the football team. Obviously a 1-11 campaign was horrendous. Give some credit to Cowboys fans, who truly gave us a good vibes season for the ages. With Eric Morris coming to town, the dawn is about to break. Grade: F